I loved loved loved Gordon Edelstein’s staging of “The Glass Menagerie,” which opened last night at the Laura Pels (review here). “The Laura Pels? Isn’t that a Roundabout house?” you may wonder. Why, yes it is! Poor Roundabout, it’s been on a bad roll lately: “Bye Bye Birdie,” “The Understudy,” “Wishful Drinking.” Even better shows like “After Miss Julie” and “Present Laughter” weren’t all that good. Then yesterday came the news that Megan Mullally was withdrawing from “Lips Together, Teeth Apart.” (She was meant to play the part created by Christine Baranski in 1991.) The only thing that could be worse would be to have Jesse James in an upcoming show.

What a relief, then, to be able to greet this “Glass Menagerie” with open arms. Edelstein has done something interesting here: He’s changed the framing device without altering the play. Usually this kind of stuff is done by deconstructivist European enfants terribles, but Edelstein’s production is aesthetically conservative. What he did is offer his own take on Tennessee Williams without imposing a new “revolutionary” reading. It’s all about the craft, really, especially as you watch the actors dig deeper and deeper into their parts. By the end, I was left thinking that “The Glass Menagerie” may well be the saddest play ever written. And never did I feel that my heartstrings were being shamelessly pulled.

If NYC educators read this, then, they should rest assured that entering the Roundabout’s “Glass Menagerie” contest is really worth the effort. They can win a trip for an entire class (7th-12th grade), where the kids will see the show plus get a backstage tour and a two-hour workshop. More info on how to participate here.